Boating Subscription and Rental Platform Skipperi Raises Funds for International Expansion

Finnish startup Skipperi, a shared-use boating subscription service and peer-to-peer boat rental platform, has raised €7M ($7.6M USD) in series A funding. The round was led by Yamaha Motor, with Baltiska Handels Sverige, Matu Capital, and HP Capital also participating. The company will use the money to fund its international expansion to several locations around the U.S. and Brisbane, Australia, while strengthening its platform and tech team. 

Skipperi Fleet is a shared-use boating subscription service where registered members can enjoy unlimited use of any of the 400+ boats in six countries with just a few taps on an app – with boats in Australia and the United States on the way. Skipperi Fleet has zero sign-up fees, meaning users just pay a monthly fee during the season and their own fuel costs. Its other service, Skipperi Rent, is a peer-to-peer rental platform where boat owners can rent out their boats to other qualified boaters. 

Founded by Anna-Leena Raij and Kristian Raij, Skipperi also works hard to get more women into boating, which has traditionally been dominated by men. In a bid to turn things upside down and get more females at the helm, Skipperi provides training to new users, the boats in its Finnish fleet have male names, and the company has cooperated with organizations promoting female boating, such as She Captain in Sweden. 

Skipperi takes care of the boats’ maintenance, equipment, insurance, and boat availability. To make sure that boating is safe for new and experienced boaters alike, Skipperi offers theoretical and practical training through its Skipperi Academy and requires boaters to pass Skipperi’s boating exam or have all locally required permits. 

Skipperi utilizes geofencing and AI that works with onboard chart plotter’s GPS signals to notify its users of shallow waters, speed restrictions, or maximum speeds in harbor areas, hazardous zones, and protected areas. AI also helps to identify damage cases to the boat, sending its location and a notification to the service team to repair it. 

In 2022, over 40,500 reservations were made with the Fleet, with the average trip time being 3.8 hours and a distance average of 16 nautical miles. Founded in 2017, Skipperi has raised a total of €12.6M ($13.5M USD) and currently operates in over 40 locations in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, New Zealand, and Canada.